No Bake Energy Bites

 Ingredients 

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (either briefly in the oven or sauté pan; cool before mixing with the chocolate)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

Cover the mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, or until the mixture is chilled. (This will help the mixture stick together more easily.)

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls. 

*If you have trouble getting the energy balls to hold together, add more peanut butter to make the mixture a bit more sticky. 

**If you would rather, you can also just press the mixture into a square baking dish to make flat energy bars instead of round energy balls.

Enjoy!

***Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Couscous Salad

 Ingredients

• 1 cup Moroccan couscous
• 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 pint multi-colored cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 English cucumber, sliced and quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 3 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)

In a small pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1 teaspoon of salt. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and fluff with a fork. Let cool completely. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt until combined. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, feta, walnuts, green onion, and cooled couscous to the dressing, and toss to coat. Stir in the parsley and dill. Garnish with pomegranate seeds. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Green Beans (from frozen)

 Ingredients

• Frozen french cut green beans
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Cracked pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place frozen green beans on a giant sheet pan. Take off any large ice chunks. 

Pop them in the oven for 5 minutes to defrost. 

Pull them out of the oven, toss in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes. 

Pull them out, shake them around and roast for an additional 10 minutes. 

Top at the end with more salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! 

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Egg Bake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cottage cheese
• Red pepper flakes (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Optional: garlic powder or Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella (can also swap mozzarella with feta or cheddar)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a small baking dish or ramekins lightly with olive oil spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk 3 large eggs until smooth. 

Add the cottage cheese, chopped spinach, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well. Add garlic powder or Italian herbs for extra flavor. 

Transfer the mixture to the greased dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is firm and the top turns golden. (Use a toothpick to check doneness- it would come out clean.)

Let cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or chilled. 

Enjoy!

Ice Cream Cake (Naptime Kitchen Rec)

 Cake Ingredients

• 30 oreos
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 8 oz. container of cool whip 
• Container of chocolate ice cream (use about half)
• Container of vanilla ice cream (use about half)
• Let the ice cream sit out for about 30 minutes so it is easy to spread

Ganache Ingredients

• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream

Ganache Steps: Combine 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, check to see if the chocolate chips are beginning to soften. If not, microwave in 10 second increments until the mixture feels warm but not fully melted. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes and then whisk it until it comes together. 

Grab an 8 or 9 inch springform or cake pan. Line with saran wrap for easy removal or if you're concerned about leakage. 

Begin by crushing your Oreos in a blender, food processor, or by hand; you will want the Oreo pieces to be small crumbs. Mix in 4 Tbsp melted butter. Take half of the Oreo mixture and press it into the bottom of your pan. 

Next, add a layer of vanilla ice cream on top of the Oreos, completely covering the Oreo layer. 

Then, add the remaining Oreo mixture and press it on top of the vanilla ice cream. 

Follow with a layer of ganache. 

Next, add a layer of chocolate ice cream. 

Follow with a layer of ganache. 

Top it off with a layer of cool chip and put it in the freezer for about 6 hours. 

Cut, serve and enjoy! Top with sprinkles, if desired. 

Cake Layering at a Glance: Oreo + Vanilla Ice Cream + Oreo + Ganache + Chocolate Ice Cream + Ganache + Cool Whip & Sprinkles

*Note: Mix up the flavors if you want, I think this would be great with coffee ice cream too! :)

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins (Little Bites Copycat)

 Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (or sugar)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla. 

Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture. 

Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling about the the edge. (About 1 1/2 Tablespoons in each mini muffin cup.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool fully. 

Enjoy!

Broccoli and Cheese Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1.25 cups broccoli
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 355 degrees F. 

Chop the broccoli into florets and cook (microwave, steam or boil). Chop finely. 

Mix all the ingredients together. Careful not to over-mix!

Put the muffins into mini muffin trays and bake for 18 minutes. 

Enjoy!